Malala Yousafzai, the world’s most famous advocate for girls’ right to education, tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour that "girls in Nigeria are my sisters."

Yousafzai survived an assassination attempt by the Pakistani Taliban in her native country in 2012. The group targeted her because of our outspoken support for girls' education.

She says that Boko Haram, which kidnapped nearly 300 girls in Nigeria, does not understand Islam.

"I think they haven’t studied Islam yet, they haven’t studied Quran yet, and they should go and they should learn Islam," she told Amanpour from Birmingham, in the UK, where she has been living and attending school. (She is now the face of The Malala Fund.)

"I think that they should think of these girls as their own sisters. How can one imprison his own sisters and treat them in such a bad way?"

Malala speaks out on kidnapped girls

soundoff(83 Responses)

otia

It is amazing to see this young woman {Malala Yousafzai} speaking on behalf of other young girls in a situation i describe horrific she has the right concept about the woman's freedom .On behalf of the girls/woman,freedom and peace let there be more action to help these girls and their parents gain some peace that they deserve Boko Haram must be stopped

Nice man. way to demonstrate tolerance for people with opposing views from you. I really wonder where I've seen such behaviour displayed before, one group persecuting another due to disparate beliefs.. can't seem to put my finger on it.

Isn't it also interesting that ALL these 'brave men' need to cover their faces with scarves. Probably so their mothers will not be thoroughly ashamed of what monsters their sons have become. From Nigeria to Ukraine, they all cover their shameful faces. What a collection of cowards.

May 7, 2014 at 9:20 pm |

T.M. Reddy

Indeed, it was a creation that looks as if putting words into her mouth.

You have to learn religeon and Quran well before talk about Islam.
We have millions of polical and cultural group around the world with self interest in thier own. We all knew it very well.
We have to carefully thread all issues with out mixing common belives.

can you inmagine yourself talking, i strongly believed that you talk as a man but you are not well, i guess you are a father now, they will also kiddnap ur daughter at the age 5yrs at 7yrs also marry to, there are demon possession in you, you need special delivance, before you rape ur own mother.

Before judging, you have to learn. I've personally read the 3 Holly books. I mean Old Testament, New Testament and Koran. I've understood why churches and synagogues are empty nowadays, and mosques are full. Don't misunderstand me, I don't want to hurt anyone, but just read, learn and comme debate. And If someone accuses Koran to be violent, yes there is some violence in Koran, but comparend to the Bible, Koran is very soft. For example, there is a vers in the Bible when Moeses order his people to kill children and women. This Moses in the Bible, isn't the Moses in Koran.

“Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error. Whoever rejects false worship and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things.” (Quran 2:256)

May 8, 2014 at 6:06 am |

Dove PBUH

@yacine: It seems you have not read Koran and do not understand that Koran is not a religion but it is moslems way of life and so many violence in it.
Old testament is just a history and Moses in old testament is the same as Moses in Koran as Koran copy some of the old testament.

Difference between Bible and Koran:
Bible: From violence (Old Testament) to PEACE
Koran: From Peace (Mecca) to VIOLENCE (Madina)

You must read and understand the Koran (with Hadith and Syrah) and you will agree with me.

The main difference between Bible and Koran:
Bible: LOVE all God creatures.
Koran: LOVE only your moslems brother and sister.

Even in your daily prayer moslems always end their prayer with below verses (Qs1:6-7):
6. Guide us to the Straight Way
7. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).

How can they condemned their own religion which is the best of the best?
All Boko Haram did is justified by their holy book.
The Quran says that "hostility and hate" will exist between Muslims and infidels "for ever" until the latter "believe in Allah alone." (60:4)

How dumb, this is the best poster girl of west could do.... She should learn islam and know that true spirit of islam is visible in the acts of this man... The command of god that he talks about actually exists in quran... so she could do better and talk about humanity instead of trying to give her smile for islam...

Malala, you should learn Islam. And then leave it to the dustbin. I hate to say this but I was born to Muslim parents. I havent left my devoted orthodox Muslim parents but I left Islam. The most criminal religion in the planet

Can't agree with you more, as a matter of fact boko haram knows islam better than she does. I hope she was not playing taqqiya when she said: "I think they haven’t studied Islam yet, they haven’t studied Quran yet, and they should go and they should learn Islam,"

I agree with Malala. I have read the Quran, and the Old Testament and the New Testament. Pretty much everyone who regularly proselytizes, preaches, rants and brags about their religion and how they serve it, should spend more time reading and less time talking, or killing or kidnapping. They all disgrace their own beliefs.

Someone should inform Malala that the leader of Boko Haram is reported to have attended an Islamic studies curricula. This is consistent with the background of most radical jihadis:,not poor, not abused as children, well-educated and thoroughly indoctrinated in Islam. Bottom line, they are intelligent, sincere, passionate with a laser-like focus on their obligation to wage jihad.

Apologetics for her would be killers, sweet. CAIR has an opening for people like her. I understand the ACLU is going to court on behalf of killers about to attack an ACLU headquarters. Seems the ACLU has set a precedent.

I do not know anything about Islam, Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, what I know is that no religion would advocate for kidnapping of innocent girls for purposes of being sold to be wives, if my religion teaches that I would denounce it, let us not forget the feelings of the parents and relatives of the victims. We are lucky we haven’t fallen victim of any form of extremism.

I knew the moment CNN started beaming light on this story that succor was in insight. Thank you CNN, Amanpour and Aisha and a host of other CNN correspondence for the follow up and for making sure our voices are heard and the hope of bringing back our girls is kept alive.

One of Nigeria's Important personnel, Asiri Dokubo says ‘No Girls Are Missing, Chibok is a Scam’ so crazy of him. He took to Facebook to bring some facts together. Found the post here http://wp.me/p4vOao-6G

When the elected persons in Nigeria are not doing their jobs things will continue to spoil,they should hide their faces and stop stealing the country wealth since that is all they know enough is enough bring our girls back

As a Muslim I am fed up. I agree with all of you the boko haram and people who hijaak the message of islam for atrocities have to be stopped. I think words are not enough anymore. Mallala is doing what she can, but when we don't stop it, we are just as guilty. Muslims everywhere should be in solidarity and protest with the Nigerian people against them.

Religion (any, not just Islam) needs to be recognized as a brainwashing tool in the hands of a few powerful people to make people compliant and stupid and at their disposal to do whatever they dream up.

Not really something is missing on Malala{ very serious her hairs is uncovered} and this is bad according to Islamic teaching she should go back and study Islam and on how Muslim women should cover their body

It is almost 3 years I came to USA illegally with my parents from Sialkot Pakistan. USA has opened my eyes and educated me with truth and information about humanity and compassion toward others. It has changed my life and melted all the poison and hate towards other I was preached in my land. But it all happened after I secretly accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior who forgives even after I was kicked out by my family.
No more I am prisoner of hate and jihad mentality.
I urge my Muslim brothers and sisters to give their hearts to Jesus and free themselves from the bondage.
I will always pray for you.
I am truly free.

Lord, please fill the hearts of evil islamic terrorists Boko Haram with compassion so they release the sisters and see the truth and the true way,
Amen.

I am totally against all this. Isnt this Amanpour ashamed of herself? Does not she have a brain of herself that she has to rush to a kid for answers? What is the point of all this nonsense? Malala is a kid and let her remain a kid. Let her grow like a kid, play with toys and friends, and leave her alone. Let her enjoy her life with some privacy. She has already gone through horrible traumatic experiences in her life and I am sure there might be some residual PTSD at least. Allow her to recover from her own emotional trauma. Let her enjoy the best period of a human's life that is one's childhood. As such, it sounds like the words she is speaking are not her own and she is being tutored by someone to say all this. Which I think is good for Malala if that is indeed the case because it means that she is not corrupting her young tender mind with all these horrible things that are happening around in the world. I feel CNN and Amanpour should be ashamed of themselves for violating a child's right to remain a child and corrupting her mind with all this. I am totally against the violation of a child and her rights in this way which unfortuantely the children themselves are not aware of and cannot speak for themselves. Also, if grown-ups do not have answers for their issues and have to run to children for the answers or solutions then they should be ashamed to call themselves grown-ups.

Nigerians should not mind me on this comment,but one ! Someone would what happen to Ghana one day ,in nigeria before come and help us. To me they are play film , that part 1$2 .first in Any school=there what we call PTA these are people that work hand in hand with the governing activities of the ,these school call the head of some. Questions that she must answer

The terrorist group is western made to ruin islam. its all as per their plans so that all the world comes to know that islam is a religion of terror and enforce but its not. the group is their made and what they have kidnapped is as per US plan so that they can show to the world that look at this religious group they are dealing with women like this, they are spreading fear and they are enforcing people to follow islam. which is a negative image .and as malala is created by western so surely she will defend these girls as americans are showing sympathy towards them but truly its all drama made by anti islamist.

i dont know why Malala is facing bad comments from people, she just want to stop drone attacks in pakistan, as many innocent women and kids are being killed in brutal drone attacks.. malala once asked obama to stop these attacks, read here http://newsorigin.com/malala-yousafzai-met-barack-obama-telling-him-to-stop-drone-strikes/

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